Mexican President to CA Legislature: 'I Believe that Most of You Speak Spanish'

26 Aug 2014

On Tuesday, Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto was pretty confident that most California state legislators would not need a translator to understand his remarks.

Before he addressed the California State Legislature, Peña Nieto said, “I believe that most of you speak Spanish.”

He then said since he speaks “better Spanish than English,” he would begin his address in Spanish. Peña Nieto thanked Gov. Jerry Brown and the Legislature for recognizing Mexican migrants and passing legislation that benefits illegal immigrants–like giving them driver’s licenses and access to in-state tuition. He said he wanted to say “thank you” for all that California has done to favor “migrants and people of Mexican origin and the children of Mexicans who have turned California into their home.”

Speaking in Sacramento on his second day in California, Peña Nieto said that California has allowed Mexican migrants to have a chance to prosper, and he hoped California is sending “a clear message to the United States and the rest of the world” about the importance of diversity and embracing “migrants.” He also, as he did on Monday in Los Angeles, said Mexico supports “migration reform”–or comprehensive amnesty legislation–because it is just for illegal immigrants, especially those from Mexico.

On Monday, Peña Nieto called for “justice” for illegal immigrants, scolded governors who did not believe in more open borders, and said America was “the other Mexico.”

Brown said that all illegal immigrants from Mexico “are welcome in California.” As Breitbart News has noted, though Peña Nieto thanked California for all it has done for Mexicans, especially migrants, the Latino Caucus wants even more. For instance, even though the University of California has accepted a record number of Hispanics, the Latino Caucus had said bilingual education and bringing back formal affirmative action policies will be top legislative priorities going forward.